by River Ramsey
“Mind if I cut in?”
Fenrir’s familiar voice made me bristle. I turned to face him, noticing that he looked good in his formal toga even though it hardly seemed like his style. It revealed his thick arms and sturdy legs, as if his uniform left any doubts.
“That depends on her,” Dionysus said, searching my gaze.
“It’s fine,” I said, forcing a smile. “Go enjoy yourself.”
He seemed reluctant, but he slipped away and let Fenrir take his place.
“What do you want?” I asked in a clipped tone. He wasn’t quite as flashy of a dancer as Dionysus, but he held his own.
He smirked, his golden eyes glimmering. “And here I thought you’d be in a good mood. You finally made it to the end of the semester.”
“Not yet,” I reminded him. “There’s still plenty of time for your little game to fuck it up.”
He chuckled unapologetically. “Nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure.”
“Since you’re here, maybe you can answer a question.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you and Hades duke it out in front of everyone in the cafeteria?” I asked. “The real reason.”
He grew somber at the mention of his friend. “I think you already know the answer to that.”
“I know what Loki told me.”
“And what is that?” he asked.
I glared at him. So he was really going to make me come out and say it. “He said you were fighting over me.”
“Then there’s your answer.”
I rolled my eyes. “What the hell is it with you two? You treat me like shit, spend all semester bullying me and humiliating me, and yet you’re willing to kill each other because Hades fingered me on the rooftop?”
His face went blank. For a second, I thought I was telling him something he didn’t already know, but there was a note of hope in his voice as he asked, “That’s all that happened?”
I frowned. I didn’t like the cavalier way in which the Triad discussed my sex life, or lack thereof, but at least he was giving me some straight answers. “What did you think?”
“Nothing,” he sighed.
“Why does it matter what I do with him, or anyone else, for that matter?” I demanded.
He held my gaze and didn’t answer for a long moment. There was more in that silence than I cared to decipher. “I think deep down, you know the answer to that, too.”
“What the hell was that supposed to mean?” I asked as the song stopped. Fenrir stepped away, giving me a knowing look and nothing else before he disappeared into the crowd.
“Hey!” I called after him, to no avail.
Stupid mysterious fucking werewolves. I stalked over to the refreshments table to grab myself a cup of punch. It was almost sickly sweet, but I drank it down for lack of a better option.
I shrank back a bit to watch the crowd, taking in the competition. Everyone was in a good mood tonight, but we’d all be at each other’s throats come morning. I raised my drink to my lips, but something solid hit them along with the slosh of liquid and I looked down. My punch was teeming with slick black worms I allowed a startled cry as I threw the cup into the grass.
I looked up to see who was responsible and immediately caught sight of Helle, standing next to one of her minions. She smirked at me and gave me a little wave.
Guess someone was over her grief. After the way the semester had gone, I really wasn’t sure why I had thought this night would go any differently.
Chapter 20
Fenrir
When the first day of the Games finally arrived, weeks of giving Hades the cold shoulder had to come to an end. That didn’t mean I had to like it.
We hadn’t trained much at all, but I wasn’t worried. The Games would be a clean sweep, even without us being on the same page.
It was the third time we’d competed, and like the others, we were all but guaranteed a win.
It was still going to be amusing to see what the underclassmen managed to do. One in particular.
There were various events scheduled for the first day, most of them meant to weed out the first and second years. It was rare for any of those groups to make it through to the finals, and while the stands had been packed the night before, they were notably sparse that morning.
There was one familiar face in the crowd that drew my attention. Demeter was easy to recognize, from her thick brown curls to her regal profile. She was seated in the parents’ area alone, and I couldn’t help but look for similarities between her and Kore.
They had similar features, to be sure, but energetically, they were nothing alike. Demeter was poised and reserved, but Kore… Well, she was hellfire on two feet.
Looking at her now as she stood with her group, waiting for the first round to begin, she seemed to have shaken off what had happened last night. It was a petty little trick, and certainly not the worst Helle had thrown at her, but I felt myself fighting the urge to intervene all the same.
All I could do was hope that once the Games were over and Hades had gotten the need to conquer her out of his system, all this Rabbit nonsense could be put to an end. It had stopped being fun a long time ago.
Artemis announced the start of the first event. It was a simple dash, unlike the one from preliminaries. This time, the other students would be wary of Kore’s power, so I hoped she had another trick up her sleeve.
When the gun fired, all the contestants took off at a clip. Ice began to form on the track. Ingrid was a one trick pony. The ice caught up to a few of the others, but most of the contestants managed to dodge it. Dionysus and Daphne leapt over the ice easily enough, but Kore’s left foot got caught.
I watched as Demeter’s hand flew to her mouth. If she thought this was bad, she really wasn’t going to like the battle royale. I had a bad feeling Kore was going to make it that far, and I wasn’t looking forward to having to fight her.
I thought it was over for her this round, but when I saw greenery sprouting through the ice, cracking the frozen pieces away, I realized otherwise. Kore broke away and began to catch up with the others.
Ingrid was in the lead. No surprise there, and the fact that she kept glancing back over her shoulder suggested she knew she had a target on her head. A vine slithered out when she wasn’t looking, and I watched curiously to see if another Valkyrie would be taken off guard in the same way.
Before the vine could reach the unsuspecting Valkyrie, a blade sliced through it from the back rings.
Kore turned to look back at the other first year who’d sabotaged her attempt. Ingrid sailed across the finish line, with Daphne coming in second.
Interesting. Cali and Ingrid weren’t even on the same team.
In the past, the other students had been focused enough on their own performances in the Games that the unlucky Rabbit had a rare reprieve. It seemed that wouldn’t be the case this year.
It was just one of many events set up for the day, and the second years were next. I found myself zoning out since no one else really caught my attention.
To be fair, Kore captivated it for all the wrong reasons.
Loki finally came over at some point in the early evening and dropped down beside me. There were dark circles under his eyes like he’d been on another bender. “You’re here late.”
“It’s just the first year culling,” he said boredly. “Don’t tell me you’ve actually been here all day.”
I looked back to track Kore’s performance in the disc throwing event. At the moment, she wasn’t using her power, which was wise. The less other students knew about her abilities, the more effective they would be when she really needed them, and these first events were orchestrated so that no one really needed supernatural abilities if they had trained enough. They were tests of discipline and will, not power.
“Of course,” he scoffed, shaking his head.
“You can’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious about how she does. Her and Dionysus, at least.”
He shot me a
withering glare, making it clear he didn’t appreciate the reference. “Where’s Hades?”
I shrugged. “How should I know?”
“Are you kidding? You’re literally his guard dog. Keeping up after him is kind of your job.”
I rolled my eyes. “Everyone needs a break.”
Loki sighed. “You two can’t keep this up. You at least have to talk to each other before we start competing.”
“I’m not worried. With a few notable exceptions, this year’s competitors aren’t exactly fierce.”
“Regardless, this can’t keep up forever.”
I just shrugged, not feeling up to arguing with him. Hades obviously wasn’t in any hurry to bury the hatchet.
Besides, the Games had only just begun.
Chapter 21
Kore
First came the sprint. Then, the discus throwing. I was beginning to think the Games weren’t going to be much worse than the preliminaries.
Then, the walls went up. I recognized the grid made of light, spanning the arena in a dome, and felt a familiar sense of dread wash over me. Training room exercises were always brutal, especially when Thor was coming up with them. Since it was the Games, it was probably a team effort.
The crowd disappeared as the walls filled in, forming a canopy of trees overhead. When I looked around, there was no way of telling I wasn’t actually in the middle of the woods.
“What fresh hell is this?” Dionysus muttered, backing up to me along with Daphne.
“Another sim?” Daphne sighed. “They didn’t do this last year.”
“Alright, gather round,” Thor continued, walking through the trees toward us. He had a grin on his face, making it clear he was enjoying whatever he was about to drop on us.
“As I’m sure you will notice, more of you made it through the early rounds than we expected,” Thor said, looking around at the relatively large gathering. We weren’t nearly what we had been at the beginning of the day, but he was right. I hadn’t expected quite this many people to have gotten through and I was nervous about what was ahead, since tomorrow it was the second years’ time to shine.
“In order to thin the herd, your teachers have approved a special kind of event,” he said with a terrifying glimmer in his eyes. “This forest is full of hidden dangers, and the challenge is to find your way through it and back to the finish line before anyone else, using whatever means necessary.”
Some of the students I didn’t recognize from the training roster looked confused. One girl spoke up and said, “This is just the arena. Won’t we run out of room?”
Thor gave her a knowing look. “Those of you who haven’t had my class may be at a disadvantage. The simulation is both practical and magical. There will be plenty of room for you to maneuver and the audience will be able to watch all of it.”
That meant my mother was watching. Chronus too, even though he had remained sequestered in his private box ever since his heavily secured arrival. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get the “honor” of meeting my future father-in-law, but I wasn’t super eager.
“That’s not fair,” another boy said.
Thor snorted, already walking through the trees. “Life’s not fair. Welcome to the Games.”
All eyes were on us, along with the group from his other training class, but I was used to being a target. “Come on,” I said, urging Dionysus and Daphne to follow me deeper into the forest before we could get pounced on.
“Where are we going?” Daphne asked, running alongside me. “We need to form a plan.”
“We have no weapons,” I said. “Right now, the plan is just to get away from the others.”
“I’m good with that plan,” Dionysus said, running faster.
It didn’t take long before we heard an explosion across the forest, still too close for comfort.
“What the hell was that?” Daphne asked, looking over her shoulder.
“I’m guessing it’s the fireworks guy from the preliminaries,” I answered.
“This is crazy,” Dionysus muttered after we’d been running for a while. We were both breathless even though Daphne seemed to fare better with endurance tasks. “How were we even supposed to know when we’d reached the end?”
“Right now, I’m more concerned about living,” Daphne said, pointing up ahead. I followed where she was pointing to at least a dozen sets of glowing red eyes in the darkness.
“Holy shit,” I muttered, taking a step back. “What are those?”
As if in response, a huge, batlike creature flew out and swooped down, narrowly missing my head. The others poured out in droves and began forming a cyclone around us. Their wings were flapping so fast that the wind actually began to pick up and it was all we could do to stay in a tight group.
“What are those things?” Dionysus asked, sounding both grossed out and terrified. “Someone’s power?”
“They’re hell bats,” Daphne answered, shielding her face. “They’re part of the sim.”
“Can’t you stop the wind?” Dionysus cried.
“I can’t,” Daphne said through gritted teeth. “It’s too strong.”
I knew I had to do something, and my powers were the only ones that would be of use in this situation. I could call up a shield of roots, but that would take a lot of energy and the bats would surely chip away at it no time. I already had gashes from the sharp talons that had managed to catch me so far.
Instead, I made a single vine with a weighted bulb at the end and cast it up into the cyclone of monstrous creatures. “Duck!” I cried, hunkering down to shield my head. The others did the same and I heard the whipping sound of my makeshift mace turning against the bats in their own tornado.
The pained shrieks spread throughout the forest as the flock scattered and a few severed wings dropped to the ground.
For the moment, we were safe.
“Holy shit,” Daphne breathed. “Good thinking.”
“You guys okay?” I asked, looking around. They both seemed as scratched up as I was, but none of us had any major injuries.
“I’m not going to be okay until I can take a seven-hour shower,” Dionysus answered, shuddering as he got to his feet. He offered a hand to help me up and smiled. “Nice job.”
I smiled back, hoping I wasn’t blushing is obviously as it felt. We hadn’t talked much lately, and I missed being close to him, even if the circumstances were insane.
“Okay, you two,” Daphne said in a dry tone. “Quit making eyes at each other and let’s get a move on before someone else finds us.”
I was speechless for a second, but when I looked over at Dionysus, he seemed equally flustered. I decided to hold my tongue and just focus on getting through the challenge.
“There,” I said, looking up ahead. “There’s a clearing in the trees. I think that’s how we get out.”
“Seems too easy,” Daphne said warily.
As if on cue, I heard the familiar sound of something whirling through the air and barely managed to push her out of the way of the flying silver projectile. The same type that had cut my vine, but whose power was that?
“Thanks,” Daphne said, looking up at me in dismay. I helped her to her feet and turned to face the group coming toward us.
The Valkyries, and it looked like Callie had joined them. Why was I surprised?
Callie was smirking at me, another silver blade in her hand. It looked like someone wanted to join their club. “Looks like you made it further than we thought,” she said, sauntering toward us.
“Were not allowed to have weapons,” Dionysus protested, getting in front of me. It was both sweet and irritating that he felt the need to protect me.
“Callie makes them,” Ingrid said, folding her arms. “Why don’t you give them a demonstration?”
She smirked and flung another blade in my direction. I managed to dodge it, but barely. I watched her form another in her hand and realized she was capable of materializing the objects just like I was capable of creating
vines.
Daphne dove out of the way as the barrage of knives sailed past us, and the ground began to tremble as the Valkyries and their new recruit pulled out all the stops. I created a vine and managed to whip several of the knives out of the air, and Daphne created a shield of wind around us that kept the others at bay. I knew it wouldn’t be long before they found a way around it.
I had to do something, and fast. Hopefully the mini earthquake going on around us would provide a distraction from manipulating the intricate root system I could feel underground. The fact that I could sense it at all was proof that Thor was right and there was more to the simulation than just mechanics.
“This won’t hold out much longer,” Daphne warned, bracing against the onslaught as the wind swirled around her.
“I have a plan, but it’s going to take all of us,” I warned her. “If you can just hold out a little bit longer.”
Daphne nodded and I turned my focus to pulling the roots up from the earth. Dionysus touched my shoulder and said, “May I?”
I looked over at him, confused, but nodded. A wave of energy surged into me, empowering my own. There was definitely a euphoric tinge to it, but it wasn’t the debilitating bliss from before. Instead, I could feel him amplifying my power, giving me the push I needed to send the cluster of roots shooting up from the earth to wrap around each of the Valkyries, pulling them all together, back to back.
The indignant screams told me it was working and Daphne lowered her shield, since Callie’s arms were bound at her sides by the root system.
“Whoa,” Daphne breathed. “Nice work.”
“It’s not done yet,” I warned. “Ingrid and Drea can still use their powers. Dionysus?”
“On it!” he called, already rushing toward them. The earth started trembling violently and he lost his footing but managed to get over to them.
“Don’t you dare,” Drea seethed, her eyes glowing hot as the forest singed around her. If she was able to keep it up, we’d be trapped in a ring of fire. Good thing it took her some time to power up, or we’d be screwed.